it's been a while, but i think it's significant b/c its foreshawdoing. she later ends up dying on the scaffolds. also, i think she is looking down on everyone and seeing them as sinners, while later the tables will be reversed as they all look down on her for commiting adultery
maybe the fact that it marked the point where she began to see things from a different perspective than the colonists (figuratively and literally) Hawthorne later says that she began to think unnatural thoughts for a colonist..... Hope this helps, we didn't really discuss this while we read it ^_^
